Byway

Why do I have to go to this school? Asked Harry

Listen, we already talked about it. Smelting is the best school in the area.and it is out of the question that you receive a subpar education. Vernon replied

But all my friends go to public school.

You'll make others. I met my best friends at Smelting.

But it's not the same. And then it's much too far.

For the tenth time, it's only 40 minutes by bus. There's no point in whining, I won't give in. You know I can't stand laziness.

It was July 31st and it was Harry's birthday. And as usual since the start of the school holidays, Harry was trying to convince his uncle to send him to the local school. He hoped he would give in for his birthday, but in vain.

Come on, my darling, don't sulk. Instead, enjoy your birthday. Here, open one of your presents. Aunt Petunia said with forced enthusiasm.

Pff, okay mom.

He was about to leave the table to comply when an owl flew in through the open window and dropped a letter in front of him. He opened the letter, read the beginning, then angrily addressed his uncle:

No, are you out of your mind? Smelting at a push, but there's no way I'm going to freeze my butt off in Scotland.

Petunia and Vernon paled upon hearing that.

oOoOoOo

A week later, the whole family was gathered in the living room and nervously awaited a visitor. At the exact moment the clock struck 9:00, the sound of the doorbell was heard. Aunt Petunia immediately went to open the door and hurriedly let her visitor in so that no one would see him.

Wow!! Exclaimed the two children in unison upon seeing the shaggy giant who had just entered the living room. He gave them a warm smile and said.

Ha! Harry, I am happy to see you again. The last time I saw you, you were just a baby. And you must be Dudley, I understand your birthday was last week. I brought you a cake. I made it myself.

The giant had apparently confused Dudley and Harry, but the latter said nothing, as the half-melted chocolate cake seemed hard as a rock. Dudley looked for a way to refuse without offending the giant, but he was spared by an intervention from his father.

Dudley says thank you and puts the cake in the fridge. You just finished eating. You can try it when we get back. He said, casting a suspicious look at the cake.

The man seemed more like Santa Claus than an ogre, but his mother had warned him that things are never what they seem in the wizarding world.

Yes, Dad. Dudley hurried to obey.

After a few exchanges of rather cold pleasantries, the family got into the large family sedan and followed Hagrid, who guided them on his motorcycle to a street crowded with buildings. Hagrid stopped his motorcycle and led them to the entrance of a seedy alley that made the Dursleys extremely uncomfortable. For a reason he hadn't understood for the past 5 minutes, Vernon couldn't stop thinking about the grant application he needed to fill out as quickly as possible.

The others also seemed to want to leave. All except Harry, who was curiously watching his parents and asked:

So, are you coming back?

Go back where you can see there's nothing here? Exclaimed Vernon angrily, thinking of the thousand urgent things he should be doing instead of following this strange stranger in the center of London.

Ben in the pub? Hagrid is waiting for us. Answered Harry with confusion. HAGRID! Something strange is happening with my parents.

Hagrid stopped his conversation with the pub owner and rushed to the entrance.

Yes, of course. It's the Muggle-repelling charms that are working. Here, Tom gave me this for you. It should immunize you against the protections he placed on the bar.

Hagrid handed the 3 Dursleys a business card in the name of the Leaky Cauldron. As soon as they had the card in hand, they saw an old PUB appear in place of the disreputable alley and immediately forgot any desire to leave.

You could have warned us. Or given us this map earlier. By the way, what did you do to our brains with your weirdness? For all we know, it’s dangerous for children. Vernon exclaimed angrily.

Before Hagrid could answer, Petunia intervened:

It's fine, Vernon. Let's hurry up and get in. The sooner we finish these errands, the better it will be. And I remind you that you agreed to let Dudley come with us.

He really wanted to come. And then, he's a man, for heaven's sake. Not a fragile little thing.

Without a word, Hagrid led them to the back room where he tapped on 3 bricks of the wall with his umbrella.

To the astonishment of all the family members (with the notable exception of Petunia Dursley), the wall opened and revealed the craziest avenue he had ever seen. Dudley was, of course, overexcited, but even Harry, who pretended a certain indifference, exclaimed and looked around with envy.

The only one to whom this show did not bring any pleasure was Vernon Dursley. To please his son and not offend Harry, he made an effort to hide it, but all his abnormalities frightened and disgusted him. To give himself courage, he looked at his wife who, he knew, sharedHis point of view. As much as he loved this kid as his own, right now he would have given anything for him not to have inherited this oddity.

They walked up the alley towards Gringotts. Dudley kept asking questions and loudly expressed his joy while Hagrid answered with obvious pleasure as Harry listened with fascination, trying awkwardly to feign indifference. Their parents, on the other hand, remained silent and worried. The more they saw, the less reassured they felt. And their fear only grew when, at Dudley's request, their escort described increasingly dangerous animals with evident passion.

They progressed quietly like this until a stranger exclaimed on the threshold of Gringotts:

But it's Harry Potter!

Before he could understand what was happening, the crowd gathered at this strategic crossroads surrounded Harry. Most just wanted to thank him for freeing them from Voldemort. Others wanted to see what was causing all the commotion. But some went further. Unable to do anything, he was jostled several times and had to deal with requests for autographs or hysterical thanks.

Someone even took the liberty of cutting off a handful of her hair, while Petunia spent an insane amount of time styling it with a mountain of gel (genetics or not, she wouldn't allow any of her children to be unkempt).

Vernon was trying to push away all the crazies who were attacking his nephew and Aunt Petunia was screaming, but they only added to the confusion. Using his size, Hagrid managed to weave through the crowd and reach Harry. He pulled him out by putting him on his shoulders and then immediately went to take refuge inside the bank where the Goblin security forcefully repelled all the undesirables. The rest of Harry's family followed.

What was that! Vernon immediately shouted once they were safely inside the bank.

Hagrid released Harry, who was immediately engulfed in an embrace by Petunia Dursley. Due to a misplaced sense of masculinity that was Vernon's pride, he pushed her away, saying he wasn't a little girl, but it had done him good. He regretted it when, out of revenge, she pulled a comb and hairspray from her handbag and set about re-styling his hair. Since she had decided to treat Harry like her son, she had developed the habit of always carrying hairdressing essentials with her. Neither she nor Harry knew that his first act of accidental magic had been to cast a spell on himself to make his hair unmanageable. Indeed, at the age of two, the boy had noticed that the only time she took care of him and touched him without a look of disgust was when she was doing his hair before church.

OooOoOo

After some shouting and confused explanations from Hagrid, the Dursleys understood that Harry was famous for having defeated you-know-who and that since his disappearance from the wizarding world, a whole bunch of legends circulated about him. And this despite regular denials from Dumbledore and the ministry. Vernon reluctantly agreed to calm down and follow Hagrid to the bank counter.

Where are we? And what are these creatures? Dudley asked.

The teller looked at him with a dark eye upon hearing the question, and Vernon then stood in front of his son (although he was not much more reassured than him). The goblin then said to him in a calm tone:

No need to worry, sir. Sir?

Mr. Dursley. Vernon replied in an unsteady voice.

The goblin continued calmly without ever raising his voice:

As I was saying, Mr. Dursley, there's no need for you to worry. Unlike wizards, goblins do not tolerate rudeness or aggression. We will not harm these young men. However, I advise him to mind his manners if he wishes to do business with us. We are not creatures, but members of the proud Goblin race. To answer your first question, young man, you are at Gringotts Bank. The safest place in England (at this phrase, Hagrid winced but said nothing). How may I assist you?

Vernon did not tolerate anyone criticizing his son in any way in his presence, but he also did not tolerate rudeness. It was not a way to treat customers, but after the hysteria he had just escaped, he understood that it was the perfect way to treat wizards. Moreover, he appreciated the impeccable three-piece suit worn by the goblin (finally, people who dress decently).

Finally, a place where order and seriousness prevailed, he thought.

Hagrid continued:

We would like to access Harry Potter's vault. Said Hagrid in his loud voice that echoed throughout the bank's hall.

It's Harry Dursley. Harry reminded irritably, as every time someone got the name wrong.

In fact, it is indeed Harry Potter, Vernon clarified.

I'm sorry, my dear, but we never officially made the change. It's just due to lack of time, you understand. But for us, you are Harry Dursley. Petunia explained while stroking his hair (at the same time, she hoped it would fix his hair).

Yes, of course, mom.

Anyway, he didn't care about something as insignificant as his name. And he was convinced of his mother's good faith. So why did it hurt so much?

The teller, for his part, merely asked them with indifference:

Does Mr. Potter have his key?

Uh yes, of course, where did I put it? Hagrid mumbled.

Under the disapproving gaze of the goblin, Hagrid began rummaging through his numerous pockets before handing him a small gold key.

Very well. Please follow me. The goblin asked politely.

OooOoOo

A few minutes of travel by cart later, the Dursleys found themselves in front of Harry's vault.

Why on earth do we have to make such a trip to a bank? Vernon asked, barely holding back from vomiting (he had always hated roller coasters) and thinking that he should reconsider his opinion on goblins.

I am sorry for the discomfort of the journey, but unfortunately replacing the carts with a more suitable means of transport would be seen as a scandal by the very conservative wizarding society. And safety and geological constraints impose a tortuous route on us.

Mentally cursing the wizards and their strange taste, Vernon said:

Let's not talk about it anymore.

Dudley, having inherited his father's weak stomach, was also holding back from vomiting, while Harry and Petunia tried to hide that they had greatly enjoyed the walk through the depths of Gringotts. Hagrid, on the other hand, said nothing. He felt guilty about what had happened at the entrance of Gringotts because of it. However, the constant remarks from that old prune Vernon were starting to irritate him.

The goblin arrived in front of what seemed to be a large metal plate stuck on a stone wall, inserted the key into a tiny gap that appeared no different from the other small holes scattered across the plates. At that moment, a light appeared which, after their stay in dark undergrounds, blinded them. When their eyes became accustomed to the light again, they discovered in front of them a mountain of gold coins stretching as far as the eye could see.

Vault 713 of Mr. Harry Potter

Vernon Dursley certainly liked this bank a lot.

OooOoOo

Some time later, Vernon was at the bank counter to exchange his Muggle money for galleons.

Despite Harry's very generous and very frequently repeated offer since he had started queuing to exchange their money, Vernon insisted on paying for his own expenses in the wizarding world. When he learned that Harry's school supplies would cost hundreds of those gold coins, he agreed to use the ample inheritance from thekid (who would have thought that his incapable parents were so rich). But he refused to be supported by his nephew (Vernon was a proud man).

When it was his turn, he let out a huge yelp of surprise when he was asked for only 5 pounds in exchange for a galleon.

I thought his coins were gold. Exclaimed Vernon

The Goblin in front of him took on an offended look and responded with a dark glare.

Of course they are made of gold, sir. Would you question the honesty of the Goblins?

Of course not, Vernon hastened to say. But in that case, how is it possible to get it for only 5 pounds? At the current gold rate, it must be worth 10 times more.

Ah, I see. Be aware that for obvious reasons of confidentiality, economic exchanges are prohibited between the wizarding world and the Muggle world. Goblins and wizards are forbidden from buying or selling gold, or any other goods on the Muggle market. Despite their very small number, wizards possess much more gold than Muggles. Imagine what would happen if the great wizarding families were allowed to speculate freely on the Muggle markets. Such an influx of gold would be impossible to hide from the general public and the existence of magic would be exposed.

There is also a spell on the galleons that will allow ministry agents to trace back to you if your galleons were to circulate in the Muggle world. However, to allow Muggle-borns to make their school purchases and wizards to do tourism in the Muggle world, Gringotts is exceptionally authorized during the summer holidays to convert a little less than 500 galleons per person into pounds according to an exchange rate set by the ministry.

How is it that wizards have so much gold? Are they able to turn lead into gold? Vernon immediately asked, stars in his eyes as he looked at his nephew.

The goblin replied with rancor.

The wizards of the Flamel family are capable of it, but the wizards owe the majority of their gold to the plundering they imposed on our nation until the Goblin Liberation Wars. For centuries, they forced us to give them a share of the production from our best gold mines.

Realizing that he had touched on a sensitive subject, he quickly took his galleons while thanking the goblin.

Finally!! exclaimed Harry and Dudley in unison, who found nothing interesting in this bank since their parents had informed them that Harry would not be allowed to access his vault until he came of age.

To avoid another riot on the Gringotts courtyard, the goblins offered them to leave through a discreet entrance, but insistedheavily on the fact that it overlooked Knockturn Alley. Hagrid hastened to accept and the Dursleys, not knowing what Knockturn Alley was, made no objection.

They crossed the unsettling street glued to Hagrid, who initially tried to reassure them but gave up after Dudley pointed out human shrunken heads displayed in a shop window. The journey didn't last long, but excited conversations regularly reached them. Following the rumor that Harry Potter had been seen on Diagon Alley, the alley's inhabitants had abandoned their usual discretion to boast to each other about the exploits committed during the last war and what they would do to the kid if they managed to get their hands on him. For illicit goods traders, the war years had been an extremely profitable paradise, and they dreamed of taking revenge on the one who had put an end to it.

Once back on Diagon Alley, they did their shopping in silence, and no notable incident occurred (excluding the fact of learning that his wand was linked to Lord Voldemort's).

Once safely back in the Muggle world, Harry immediately turned to his uncle:

Please dad, I don't want to go. I want to go to Smelting.